Separator



*Num 8, W49 J. BRESLOVE, JR aim' SEPRATOR Filed Jan. 29, 1947 NW3 5 w49J. BRESLOVE, JR @4879633 SEPARATOR Filed Jan. 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2l INV EN TOR.

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Patented -Nov. 8, 1949 UNiTEo STATESA PATENT OFFICE SEPARATOR JosephBreslove, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa. ApplicationJanuary 29, 1947, Serial, No.724,960

l Claims. 1

My invention relates to the. art of` separatingy solids .from fluids inWhichthey are entrained and more particularly comprises an improvedmethod and means lforseparating particles from gases such as removingcinders and fly ash from boiler flue gas or` cleaning' air inindustrialproc.- essesy such asremoving impurities in exhaust sys.- temsand the like.

While present. methods and apparatus accomplishthe separation'ofparticles from a gas 0r fluid in which they are. entrained. suchseparation -requires' .highf power consumption4 or a, high pressure drop1 throughout the apparatus. For example, to removel clnders. and y ash.from flue gas from a boiler according to present methodsy and apparatusnow in use and with which I am familiar, the use of a fan is requiredto' overcomethe high pressure drop through the separator and to effectmore complete particle removal.` Unless a high pressure drop is presentin such apparatus, the separation is very inemcient and actuallyineflective to remove a high percentage of fine particles from the gas.vIn known systems operating onl alow` pressure drop such as bailiesystems, the efiiciency or separati'on is of a low order.

It is, therefore, an `object of the present invention to eicientlyseparate from a gas or fluid solid particles which may beentrainedtherein and td eiect such separation at lowk power consumption,that is, without a high ress1.1rel drop through the apparatus.

It is another object of the invention to efflciently remove, forexample, cinders and rly ash from iue gas from a boiler at a low enoughpressure drop that the draft of the chimney or exhaust alone willsuffice, so that the use of a fan or other means to increasethe draftwill be unnecessary.

A further object of the invention consists in treating. a gas or fluidladen with particles SO that the laden gas or fluid will be subjected toa sharply increased rotational velocity and Drogressive centrifugalacceleration and then at maximum acceleration to discharge the particlestherefrom byconyerting the pressure energy into kinetic energy, andtheny recovering the energy expended to produce the acceleration afterthe uuid or gas hasbeen, cleaned by reconverting thekinetic energy backinto pressure energy, thus greatly decreasing theA overall pressure dropin the process and consequently greatly reducing the power consumptionor draft loss.

Other objects and-advantages of my invention will become apparent as thefollowing description of two embodiments thereof progresses, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings in which like referencecharacters are ernployed to designate like parts throughout the same.

Figure l is a sectional view through one form of apparatus embodying myinvention;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line II--II of Figure l, and,

Figure 3 is a partial vertical section through an apparatus embodyinganother form of the invention which is adapted for multiple stageseparation.

It has been the usual practice i-n the mechanical separation ofparticles from an entrain-ing fluid such as ue gas to whirl the ladeniiuid to produce a high centrifugal acceleration of the same. Thewhirling column of fluid is then directed into a receivernwhereit isdischarged. Considerable pressure energy is required to be expended inproducing this whirling motion and manifests' itself inI a high pressuredrop in the apparatus, the pressure energy thereby actually beingconverted into kinetic energy.

In carrying out my invention, the energy expended to producevacceleration of the ladenV gas or fluid and which is thus converted intokinetic energy, is ina large measure recovered by reconverting thekinetic energy into pressure energy after the laden gas or iluid givesup its entrai-ned particles.

The greater part of the energy required to produce the velocities androtation of the gas necessary for efficient separation of the particlesentrained therein is thus recovered and it follows that the overallpressure drop of the'apparatus is greatly decreased as distinguishedfrom the methods and apparatus heretofore used. Consequently the powerconsumption or draft loss is greatly reduced.

Referring first to Figures l and 2 in which 1 have illustrated oneembodiment of my invention, the apparatus therein shown consists oi anintake unit A, a receiver, and an outlet unit B. The intake unit Aincludes an intake pipe or tube I communicating with an outer .casingComprising truncated .cone portions 2 and 3 arranged in reversedrelationship to each other so that the larger diameters thereof areadjacent and are connected by the cylindrical band portion 4, A smallerydiameter .of4 the conical portion 3 cornmunioates with a cylindricalportion. 5 projecting into one side of a closed receiver 6.

maarre n On the opposite side of the receiver and in axial alignmentwith the unit A is the unit B comprising a cylindrical portion I spacedfrom the portion 5, the reversed truncated cone portions 6 and 9, theconnecting band I0 and the outlet I I.

Infurther carrying out my invention, I provide means within the unit Awhereby the laden gas column entering the unit A axially thereof at Imay be brought into a state of rotation and then at sharply increasedrotational velocities as the gas approaches and enters the portion 5.Similar means is provided within the unit B but is reversed whereby thevelocities of the rotating gas stream, after having passed from thecylinder to the cylinder 'I and thus relieved of its entrainedparticles, may sharply be reduced and discharged through the outlet IIin substantially a non-rotating column.

More specifically such means as applied in unit A may comprise a closedhollow body axially supported within and in spaced relation to the saidunit, said body having one end of substantial conical guration as at I2,the apex of the cone being adjacent the intake tube I. The other end ofthe body is of similar conical form but is reversed with respect to theend I2 as at I3, the bases of the cones being adjacent one another butseparated by a cylindrical portion I4. Between the concentric portions 4and I4 there are arranged a plurality or annular series of spaced curvedblades I5, which may be xed orpivotally mounted for angular adjustment,if desired,

to impart an increased or decreased angular direction of flow of theladen gases therebetween and subsequently through the annular passage IIdened by the wall of the cone I3 and the wall 3 of the casing, and intothe cylinder 5.

It is to be noted that the passage dened by the walls 2 and I2 is ofsubstantially constant cross-sectional area and that its radius in crosssection is progressively increased to a maximum radius at 4 where theuid passes between the curved blades or vanes I5. As some drop inpressure occurs between the inlet I and that point where the uid bodyleaves the vanes in a rotating movement, but since the uid body emergingfrom the vanes is of a relatively high` radius in annular cross sectionbut of relatively low rotational velocity at this point, the pressuredrop is not high. The pressure energy thus expended may, in accordancewith my invention, be recovered as will appear hereinafter.

The laden fluid body having passed between the vanes I5 which producerotation of the body, enters the annular passage II at I8, as indicatedby the arrow I9. The passage I'I is of decreasing radius but by properlyconverging the walls 3 and I3 toward the vanes, the annular area of thepassage I1 may be substantially constant. As the rotating fluid bodypasses through the passage I 'I, its radius is decreased causing a sharpincrease or acceleration in rotational velocity of f the fluidaccompanied by a drop in pressure between the points I8 and 20. Thisincreased velocity and resultant increased kinetic energy is produced bythe work done in overcoming centrifugal force as the fluid body passesalong the passage in which the radius is progressively reduced.

As the whirling laden uid body enters the cylinder 5 it is rotating athigh velocity. Under such conditions the heavier particles entrained aresult of this,

in the whirling column are caused to run along' the inner surface of thecylindrical wall of the member 5 as the fluid column advances andfinally to be discharged tangentially of the free end of the cylinder asindicated by the arrows 22, into the receiver 6. The particles thusliberated from the iluid column will fall to the bottom of the receiverafter their momentum is spent, as at 23, where they 'may be removedthrough a lock gate 24, as desired.

The cylinder 1 is in axial alignment with the cylinder 5 and is spacedaxially therefrom sufficiently to permit the particles ejected from theiiuid body as it leaves the cylinder 5 to pass tangentially outwardly ofthe fluid column as the whirling column passes axially into the cylinder1 as indicated by the arrow 25. The cylinder 'I may be of substantiallythe same diameter as that of the cylinder 5, although the diameter ofthe former may be slightly reduced, in which event I have found that theparticle separation may be further enhanced, particularly in theseparation of the more minute particles from the uid column. I havefound by experiment that there will be extremely little pressure drop inthe uid between the cylinders 5 and 'I as long as the receiver S remainsclosed to the outside atmosphere, but it will be understood that, ascompared with the relatively high pressure zone occupied rby the vanesI5, the zone including the cylinders 5 and 'I and therebetween is one ofrelatively low pressure due to the sharply accelerated rotationalvelocity imposed on the fluid body in converting the pressure energy ofthe moving body into kinetic energy.

As has been stated before, my invention accomplishes a separation ofentrained particles from a iiuid body in a highly eicient manner byvirtue of the fact that I have provided means whereby the draft loss andpower consumption are greatly reduced las compared to present separationmethods and apparatus.

Such means is illustrated in Figure 1 and comprises a unit B which maybe termed an energy reconverting means.

The unit B may comprise a structure substantially the same as that ofunit A but which is arranged in reversed relation to the unit A; thatis, the unladen whirling fluid column passing to the right from thecylinder 1 will enter the passage 26 dened by the casing wall 8 and theinclined wall of the truncated cone member 21. Since the radius of thepassage 26 increases from left to right in Figure 1, the rotationalvelocity of the whirling fluid body passing therealong will be reducedprogressively and a corresponding amount of work will be done on themeans which constrains the uid body to travel in a circular path. A bodyof iiuid rotating through an average increasing radius will bedecelerated and its kinetic energy will be converted into pressureenergy. As the unladen fluid body reaches the area of the straighteningvanes at greatly decreased angular velocity, it passes between the vanesin the direction of the arrow 29 and into the annular passage 30 definedby the cone 3I and the casing wall 9, where its flow again becomessubstantially non-rotational. As indicated by the arrow 32, thestraightened fluid body will then pass through the cylinder or outlet IIat increased pressure as a result of the reconversion of its kineticenergy in the unit B to pressure energy.

By thus converting the kinetic energy into pressure energy= a relativelyhigh pressure zone is established in the cylinder vThe pressure drop ordraft loss between the intakeV cylinder l and the cylinder l l is indeedvery low, whereas the pressure drop or draft lossbetweentheintake l and`thezone of high rotational velocity as at and 1 is considerable.

It, therefore, becomes apparent that by the provision of means such asunit B forl reconverting the kinetic energy of the iiuid bodyintopressure energy after it has shed its entrained particles at highrotational velocity, the `power consumption of the operation and thepressure drop or draft loss in a fluid system in which the apparatus isused is reduced far more than is at present the practice. It will` alsobe seen that the use of my invention in -a flue or stack will result inlittle or no impairment of the draft characteristics of the flue orstack and that, because of the extremely low pressure drop across theapparatus, the same readily may be installed in flues cr stacks withoutthe necessity of making extensive alterations in such equipment.

In Figure 3, I have illustrated a modied form of the invention which issimilar in, principle to the form described above, but which'embodiesmeans for multiple stage separation of particles from a moving fluidbody.

Another variation of this modification resides in the elimination of theuse of blades or vanes to produce a rotation of the entraining fluidbody as has been disclosed and described in connection with Figure 1.Rotation of the fluid body may be obtained by causing the laden fluid toenter the acceleration chamber or passage 40 in a direction tangentialthereto as indicated by the arrows 4| and 42 throughv a suitable intakeduct 43 having communication with the passage 40.

As illustrated in the drawing, the passage 4D is anannular passagedefined by the upwardly converging casing or jacket wall and the `conewalll 44 and 45 respectively. The accelerating passage 40 communicatesat its lower end 46 with a coaxial cylinder 41 which projects into andmay be supported by the receiver 48. In alignment with and spaced fromthe lower end of the cylinder at a predetermined distance is a cylinderV49 of substantially the same internal diameter as that of the cylinder41. An intermediate cylinder 49 is supported within the receiver bymeans of an inclined annular wall 50 dividing the receiver into an uppercompartment 5I and a lower compartment 52.

, As has been explained in connection with the form of my inventionillustrated in Figure 1, the heavier particles entrained in the whirlingfluid entering the cylinder 41 and passing axially therealong will, dueto its high rotational velocity, run along the inner wall of thecylinder until they reach the edge 53 thereof when they will be ejectedtangentially from the fluid body and into the compartment 5l asindicated by the arrows 54. Meanwhile the whirling fluid body will kpassinto the cylinder 49, still entraining some of the more minute andlighter particles.

' By means of the modification shown vin Figure 3, however, I haveprovided means whcrebythe iiuid body may be subjected to asecondseparation stage for removing the lighter particles.

In carrying out this form of the invention, the

cylinder 49 is open ended at 55 and projects into thev lower receivercompartment52. A cylinder 56 in axial alignment with the cylinders 41and 49 is selectively spaced from the lower open end ofthe cylinder 49and communicates at its opposite end with a fluid deceleration annularpassage either ofthe cylinders 49 or 41; By such means and arrangement Iam enabled to further` accelerate the rotation of thefluid bodyas itpasses from the intermediate cylinder'` 49 and into the cylinder 55,thus enabling the finer and lighter.

particles still `entrained inthe fluid as it leaves the cylinder 49, tobe thrown off tangentially as indicated by the arrows 60 linto the lowercompartment 52.

The `rotationalfvelocity of the accelerated unladen fluid bodypassingfrom the cylinder 55 will be progressively decreased in theannular decelerating passage 51 as thev fluidapproaches the largerdiameters thereof and the `fluid body may be taken from thepassage inthe direction tangential thereto through the duct 6I in a straightenedor lineal iiow.

Thus `-it will be seen that thevlinear flow ofthe laden fluid first isgiven an initial rotation as it enters the acceleration passage 40 bydirecting thesame in a direction tangential to the passage. inlet.y Asthe iluidpasses downwardly around the cone 45 in the passage 4U itsrotational velocity is sharply accelerated and its pressure energy isthus converted into kinetic energy.

Passing throughv ther first separation stage cyl-v inder 41 the heavierparticles entrained in the whirling fluid will be ejected into the upperreceiver compartment 5l 'and will fall upon the inclined wall 50 and maybe removed from ltime to time through the discharge openings 10 and thelock gates 1l. fiuid columnwill pass through the second separation stagecylinder 49, and, byvirtue of the added rotational acceleration impartedto the i column by the reduced diameter of the cylinder 56, the lighterparticles carried into the cylinder 49 will be ejected tangentiallythereof into the lower receiver compartment 52. They may be removed fromthis compartment through the outlets 12 and the lock gates 13 when'desired.

The unladen whirling fluid body then passes into the annulardecelerating passage where its rotational velocity is progressivelyvdecreased. During this step the kineticl energy-of the body is thereforereconverted into pressure energy.

I have discovered by actual test and measurement that the overallpressure dropA `from the inlet 43 to the outlet 6l is relatively smallbecause of the fact that, after the desired unburdening of the fluid ofits entrained particles, the kinetic energy of the whirling fluid bodyis reconverted into pressure energy. In all the methods of separatingsolidy particles from fluids, of which I am.

aware, separation is either inelcient or entails a considerableconsumption of power. By my invention I am enabled to accomplisheflicient'separation at low power consumption.

From the `foregoing description of the invention, and as illustrated inFiguresv l Iand 3 whereinthe particle receptacles 6 and 52 respectively,are shown as closed, it will be understood that while the rotationalvelocity of the iluid body is made to vary as the fluid travels alongthe fluid passage by varying the radii of the passage, the axialvelocity of the fluid' body remains substantially constant throughoutits travel in the apparatusby virtue of the fact that thecross-sectional area of the passage through which the luid flows issubstantially constant.

Continuing on, the whirlingv casacca;

11. An apparatus for separating solid particles' from an entrainingnuid, including-a receptacle for fluid inlet casing, a iiuid outletcasing, said casingsl being in`substantia1 axial alignment andcommunicating with said receiver and with each other, said casingsterminating within said receiver in annular spaced apart portions ofreduceddiarneter, and each including frusto-conical portions oppositelydisposed adjacent said receiver, al core member extending axiallythrough said casings and said receiver and forming therebetween anannular passage for the-entrainingiiuid, the radii of said passage beingof a decreasing order through said rst casing and of an increasing orderthrough said second casingiin the direction of iiuid flow, the

cross-sectionalarea of saidpassage being sub-.

stantially constant throughout the extent of said passage, and meansassociated with said lirst casing for imparting a krota-tional ilow tosaid laden fluid;

2, A n apparatus for separating solid particles from an entrainingfluid, including a receptacle for the particles separated from saidfluid, a fluid inlet casing, afluid outlet casing, said casings being insubstantial axial alignment and cornmunicating with said receiver andwith each other, said casings terminatingwithin said receiver in annularspaced apart portions of reduced diameter, and each includingfrustro-conical portions oppositely disposed adjacent said receiver, acore member extending axially through saidcasings and said receiver andforming therebetween an annular passage for the entraining iluid, theradii of said passage being of a decreasing order through said firstcasing and of antincreasingorder through said second casing, in thedirection of tional area of said passage being substantially constantthroughout the extent of said passage, and means associated with saidfirst casing for imparting a rotational iiow to said laden fluid, andmeans `associated straightening out the rotational ow of said unladenfluid.

3v. An apparatus for separating solid particles.

from an entraining iluid stream comprising an intake duct, a passageleading from said intake duct and communicating with a particlereceiver, a particle receiver, means 4for imparting a rotationalmovement to the fluid stream in said passage, said passage having aprogressively reduced radius and a substantially constant crosssectionalarea to sharply increase the rotational velocity of said rotating streamwithout niaterially affecting its axial velocity as the same passestherethrough and to cause the entrained particles to be ejectedtangentially of the stream into said receiver, meanscommunicating withthe receiver4 to receivethe unladen whirling fluid stream and comprisinga passage having a progressively increased radius anda substantiallyconstant cross-sectional area to sharply decrease rotational velocity ofthe fluid without materially aiecting its axial velocity, means torender the rotationally slowed fluid stream substantially non-rotating,and an `outlet for said unladen uid stream, whereby the pressure dropbetween said inlet and said outlet lof the apparatus will be smallrelative to the pressure drop between the inlet and the receiver.

4; An' apparatus for separating solid particles Ironiarotatingientraining uid stream compristhe particles separated from saidfluid, a4

iluid flow, the cross-secwith said second casing for .core formingtherebetween an ing' an outer casingand an inner core formingvtherebetween an annular passage of progressively reduced radii but ofsubstantially constant crosssectional area, whereby the rotationalvelocity of the entraining, uid `stream passing therethrough will besharply accelerated, a particle ejecting passage leading from theannular passage and in axial alignment therewith, a particle receiver,and an outer casing and an inner annular passage communicating with saidreceiver and having progressively increased radii and a substantiallyconstant cross-sectional area whereby the rota.- tional velocity of theunladen fluid stream is sharply decelerated.

5. An apparatus for separating solid particles from a rotatingentraining iiuid comprising an outer casing, an inner core spaced fromsaid casing and providing anannular fluid passage therebetween, saidpassage being characterized by having a substantially constantcross-sectional area at decreasing casing and core radii in thedirection of iluid flow, a tube communicating with the discharge end ofsaid passage and having a free edge from which said particles passingtherethrough are caused to be projected substantially tangentiallyoutwardly of said edge and into a receptacle, a receptacle for saidparticles, and means for conveying the unladen iiuid comprising an outercasing and an inner core spaced from said casing and providingtherebetween an annular iiuid passage characterized by having asubstantially constant cross-sectional area at increasing casing andcore radii throughout in the direction of iluid now.

6. An apparatus for separating solid particles from a rotatingentraining iiuid stream having a substantially constant axial velocity,said apparatus including an outer casing and an inner core spaced fromsaid casing and forming therebetween a rotational velocity acceleratingpassage of substantially constant cross-sectional area but of decreasingradii in the direction of iluid flow, a particle ejecting passagecommunicating with a receiver, a receiver for the par- 'ticles ejectedfrom the iluid, a second particle ejecting passage in first ejectingpassage of lighter weight not fluid, and rotational axial alignment withsaid previously ejected from the velocity decelerating means saidreceiver to receive the therebetween, said passage being characterizedby having a substantially constant cross-sectional 'area but ofincreasing radii in the direction of fluid flow, and an outlet leadingfrom said last named passage.

'7. An apparatus for separating solid particlesv `from a rotatingentraining fluid stream having `a substantially constant for ejectingthose particles.

creasing radii in the direction of fluid ow, and v an outlet leadingfrom said last named passage.

JOSEPH BRESLOVE, JR. Number 1,842,082 REFERENCES CITED 5 2,048,6132,193,883 The followmg references are of record 1n the 322,414

111e of this patent: 2,375,203

